Voters fail to recognise 'invisible' Lib Dem ministers

Liberal Democrat cabinet ministers are far less likely to be recognised by
ordinary voters than their Conservative counterparts, a survey by The Sunday
Telegraph has revealed.

Vince Cable (left) was recognised by less than half (43 per cent) and Chris Huhne by only 19.5 per centPhoto: AFP/GETTY IMAGES

By Patrick Sawer, Phoebe Luckhurst and James Daly

8:00AM BST 08 Aug 2010

The findings will prompt renewed concern among both party activists and MPs who already fear that playing second fiddle to the Tories could rob the party of its distinct identity and lead to a loss of recognition.

Last week Mark Oaten, the back bench Liberal Democrat MP, blamed his party's slump in the polls on what he claimed was the fact nobody knew they were in government.

Responding to one opinion poll which placed the Lib Dems at just 12 per cent, he said: "Has any polling been done to check if voters know it's a coalition government with the Lib Dems or do they think it's a Tory government?"

The Sunday Telegraph took it upon itself to find out, sending its reporters to market towns and cities across the country to test the nation's knowledge of its new Coalition government.

We found plenty to alarm Mr Oaten.

Although the vast majority of the 200 people we questioned knew his party was sharing power with the Tories, and indeed that Nick Clegg was the deputy prime minister, they were stumped when it came to recognising some of the party's leading lights.

Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, who is usually named as one of the country's most popular politicians, was recognised by less than half (43 per cent) of those asked. Only 30 per cent knew what his job was.

Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem chief secretary to the Treasury who is responsible for implementing billions of pounds worth of public spending cuts, was only recognised by 16.5 per cent of those questioned, with even fewer knowing his Cabinet title.

Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat energy and climate secretary – a member of the Cabinet – was recognised by only 19.5 per cent of people and only 9.5 per cent knew his job.

If it hadn't been for the storm over his private life earlier this year, when he left his wife for a bisexual partner, he might have scored even lower. "Isn't he the one who ran off with the lesbian? Then he got to keep his job," Nick Jordan, 43, an artist from Manchester said.

Tory cabinet ministers fared better.

William Hague was recognised by 58.5 per cent of people. Forty-seven per cent knew he was currently Foreign Secretary, although one passer-by thought he was the pop singer Jimmy Sommerville, of Bronski Beat.

Ken Clarke, the Conservative justice minister was identified by just over half of those questioned, though only 17 per cent of people knew his job title.

A number of people mistook Mr Clarke for John Prescott, Labour's former Deputy Prime Minister, or for Norman Lamont, the former Conservative chancellor

Just over half (52.5 per cent) could recognise George Osborne and just under half (49.5 per cent) were able to say that he was Chancellor – although a few people did mistake him for one or other of the Miliband brothers.

Lynne Featherstone, the equalities secretary and Liberal Democrat MP, recorded the worst showing. She was recognised by only one person – in Canterbury – with not a single person able to successfully identify her government position, despite her recent high-profile criticism of topless Page 3 models and her comments praising Mad Men star Christina Hendricks as a role model for girls.

When told who she was Dylan Jiles, 30, a musician, from Manchester, said: "Really? I would have sworn she was a Tory with that hair."

The majority of people we asked knew the Lib Dems were in a coalition with the Conservatives. But Tory ministers were far more widely recognised than their Liberal Democrat counterparts. Here are the results of our survey: